The Academic Curriculum Structure

Grade 9: Shanghai and IGCSE Integrated curriculum.

Grade 10: IBDP/A-Level Foundation Year courses.

Grade 11 and Grade 12: IBDP or A-Level program.

Students will be awarded IB diploma or A-Level certificates on satisfying the IBDP or A-Level global examination.

Figure 1: HS Curriculum Pathway

Curriculum Overview:

1. In the first and second academic year, Shanghai, GAC (Global Assessment Certificate), and IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) form the integrated curriculum in Grade 9, and IBDP/A-level Foundation Year Curriculum and GAC integration in Grade 10 are offered to students. High school students can voluntarily and selectively participate in the IGCSE global examination after the end of the second academic year; from 2022 most students in the high school take part in the GAC integrated curriculum. A range of IGCSE courses are offered including Math, Economics, Chinese, English, Science, and Art and Design, while GAC integration occurs mainly in Math and English and Business Management. After the IGCSE examination at the end of Grade 10, students will also need to learn a few school-based transition units as preparation for the advanced study in IBDP or A-Level.

2. In the third (Grade 11) and the fourth (Grade 12) academic years, IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) and A-Level (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level) are offered to students.

IBDP is a unified global standard international program provided by the IB. It is a rigorous, highly academically challenging and balanced curriculum designed to help students aged between 16 and 19 successfully to enter universities and become lifelong learners. It has received high recognition from universities all over the world, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge and other top-ranking universities. After two years of study, all high school IBDP graduates will apply for foreign or Hong Kong universities without taking the National College Entrance Examination in China, commonly known as Gaokao. Students apply for overseas first-class universities with excellent learning abilities, independent development and strong competitiveness.

3. In addition to these international academic programs, ECNUAS also attaches great importance to the well-rounded development of students and enhancement of their overall quality. ECNUAS has invited professionals in all fields to provide music, art, sports, and other school-based courses to all students.

Main features of IBDP:

IB Mission Statement

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

1) Highly balanced and selective curriculum system.

The IBDP consists of six subject groups.

Group 1: Studies in language and literature

Group 2: Language acquisition

Group 3: Individuals and societies

Group 4: Sciences

Group 5: Mathematics

Group 6: The arts

2)  DP core—CAS, TOK and EE.

CAS refers to “Creativity, Activity, Service”. It means “Students are encouraged to do activities, being creative and serve others through various activities.

TOK means “Theory of Knowledge”. It is an interdisciplinary course aiming to guide students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know.

EE means “Extended Essay”. In EE, students are required to complete an essay of about 4,000 words according to their own interests and future development directions. It trains students skills of doing academic research and essay writing that are widely used in universities.

Students can not only obtain comprehensive development in various disciplines, but also enhance their activity ability, independent research ability, and reflective abilities by participating in CAS, EE and TOK studies.

For more information about IBDP, please refer to the IB official website www.ibo.org.

In ECNUAS, a variety of course are offered within each subject group, all of which fit for Chinese students who consist the main body of our students.

3) Highly connected with future studies in universities.

High grades in IBDP could be directly converted into college credits in some universities. At the same time, the strict requirements and high quality of this curriculum are highly recognized by overseas universities, which enable students adapt quickly to the study and life in universities.

Main features of A-Level:

A-Level is an abbreviation for General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, which is the college entrance examination for UK students. A-Level program lasts for two years. The final grades in this examination are reported from A* to E and U. Students usually need to choose 3 or 4 courses to study. Certificates will be awarded after the A-Level examinations. A-level students will mainly apply for universities using the British Education System. They may need to submit other standardized test grades in order to apply for American universities and colleges. Based on students’ educational needs and university application requirements, the A-Level program offered in ECNUAS include Science, Mathematics, Business, and Psychology. Meanwhile, it is mandatory that the A-Level students at ECNUAS should also study school-based English and academic writing courses and meet requirements of extra-curricular activities.

Faculty

All the teachers of ECNUAS High School graduated from famous universities at home or abroad. The majority of them have Master degree or above. ECNUAS is entitled to recruit expat teachers by Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs. The ratio of local teachers to expat teachers in High School is approximately 3 to 2. The expat teachers are from the United Kingdom, United States, France, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries. At present, 30% teachers in ECNUAS High School are accredited IB examiners. All teachers were trained in workshops recognized by the IB. The ratio of teachers to students is about 1:5.5. Small-class and fine teaching methods are adopted with no more than 25 students in each class. All courses are taught in English or bilingually except Chinese courses.

Featured Extra-curricular Activities

ECNUAS has created many elective courses and a range of extra-curricular events and activities and community service opportunities for students, which have gradually become part of the school-based curriculum. These activities include:

-Events and activities initiated by four Houses

-Elective courses

-ECNUAS lectures

-Student TV Station

-Fashion show

-CAS Carnival

-Visual Arts exhibition

-Math and Science Week

-Poem Competition

-HS Sports Day

-Drama Festival

-New year concert

-Voluntary teaching and social investigation program in Jiangxi and Qinghai provinces.

-Experiential learning of Chinese traditional culture in Shandong Province.

-Shanghai Eco-civilization volunteer station program

Overseas Exchanges

ECNUAS has a lot of collaboration with schools in America, England, Australia, Canada and Japan. ECNUAS has a committee on international education and has a few sister schools at home and abroad, which include Concordia International School Shanghai and Japan Nagasaki Chinzei Gakuin High School. Teachers and students will pay mutual visits regularly in which East meets West. Students in ECANUS have many chances to participate in study tours, training programs and international competitions.

College Counseling at ECNUAS

The College Counseling Office is designed to assist students as they transition from high school to university. We understand that there is a lot of uncertainty, apprehension, and confusion surrounding university admissions. Our aim is to provide students and parents with the information and support they need for a seamless and successful university process.

The focus of the College Counseling Office is to help students to find the right university “fit.” This means identifying and applying to universities where the student can thrive both academically and socially. It is our mission to work with students as they move toward self-examination, goal-setting, decision-making, and self-advocacy in the search for options that will allow them to continue their learning beyond high school. Specifically, the counselors will work one-on-one with the student and parents to build and refine the college list; to shape strategic extra-curricular engagement; to review college admissions, standardized testing, and financial aid requirements; and to provide advice about the essay, resume, summer programs, interviews, and university applications. The counselors also advise students during the IB course selection process so that their high school courses fulfill the prerequisites of their intended university major.

The College Counseling Office hosts a number of events that prepare students and parents for the university application process and beyond, such as workshops and presentations by university representatives. We also sponsor trips to university fairs and off campus university presentations.

Throughout their time at ECNUAS, students are urged to challenge themselves as consistently as possible, and to establish and maintain good relationships with their teachers and counselors. While many resources are available for students to structure their efforts, these are not intended to replace the personal advising process that is fundamental to the university search. We are here to support and advise students in every way we can, and we invite students and parents to contact us with any questions.

Counselors